Craving a killer crab cake? Harford County has it. In search of a sizeable steak? Got you covered. Have a loved one with dietary restrictions? Even then, the dining options are plentiful.
More than 2,400 readers shared their recommendations for the county’s best cuisine in this year’s best restaurants contest. And the consensus is clear: no matter your tastes, you can’t lose.
Editor’s note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to vote online in August and September. Find the official rules here.
Al Fresco The Hickory Lodge Restaurant and Bar
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From the front parking lot, the Hickory Lodge Restaurant and Bar’s low-slung building looks pretty but unassuming.
“If you pull up from the road, this place looks tiny, but then you walk out back and you don’t feel like you’re in a parking lot or in Bel Air,” says manager Dani Kirchner. “We have multiple personalities. It’s clubby at night and outside is more of a party, but if you sit inside, you can have a quiet meal.”
That party atmosphere makes the restaurant a county favorite for outdoor dining.
Inside, The Hickory Lodge is spacious and decorated with warm wood and stone, with a distinct mountain lodge feel. Outside, the stone and wood continue, and tall fences surrounding the outdoor make it feel remote and private.
Though the deck closes during the chilliest parts of the year, with fire pits for cooler weather and live music most nights of the week, the outdoor space draws a fun, vibrant crowd when it is open.
“It has an open, laid back atmosphere,” says Kirchner.
People often gather outside for the music, she says — and the fresh-squeezed crushes.
“We have one [employee] who comes in just to squeeze grapefruits and oranges,” Kirchner says. “We see groups of people come to just hang out on the patio and drink crushes.”
Find the Hickory Lodge Restaurant and Bar at 2119 Conowingo Road, Bel Air. 410-838-2240 or thehickorylodge.com .
(By Kit Waskom Pollard | For Harford Magazine)
Ambience
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Asian
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Bakery
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Flavor Cupcakery’s name might focus on taste, but a visit to the Bel Air bakeshop is a treat for all the senses.
“The first thing people usually say is that it smells so good in here,” says owner Shelley Stannard. “They say it’s beautiful and there’s so much to look at.”
Stannard opened her bakery in 2010 and was thrust into the national spotlight when she won the televised competition “Cupcake Wars” in 2011. Since then, she and her smiling staff have baked and decorated cupcakes in every flavor imaginable, from Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer to French toast with bacon.
“People love our creativity,” says Stannard. “We really care about what our products look like. People not only come back for their favorites, but there’s always something new.”
Stannard and her crew make seasonal cupcakes and new, creative flavors each week as well as 10 “classic” flavors that are available every day.
“They’ve been the same classics since we opened, since people love them,” she says. “It would never occur to us to take any of them off our list. They’ve proved themselves.”
Flavor is not strictly a cupcake shop, either. Stannard says over the past few years people have started going crazy for her macaroons and for the fun custom cakes the shop makes for parties and weddings.
Whatever the occasion, Stannard makes sure her customers have fun when they enter the shop.
“It’s an escape from life for a few moments,” she says.
Find Flavor Cupckery & Bake Shop at 118 N. Tollgate Road, Bel Air. 443-371-6664 or flavorcupcakery.com .
(By Kit Waskom Pollard | For Harford Magazine)
Bar Food
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Barbecue
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Bartender
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Beer List
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Breakfast/Brunch
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Whether sitting outside on Main Street or inside the restaurant, starting the day at 4-year-old Sunny Day Cafe is a winning proposition for many Bel Air locals.
“I love our customers. They’re great,” says owner Laurie Orfanidis, noting that most Sunny Day diners are repeat customers that come back frequently.
“They enjoy coming in because it’s comfortable. They can have a conversation with their server about what they did last week and they remember,” she says. “People are very appreciative that they have a place to come that feels like home — like ‘Cheers,’ where people know your name.”
Everything on Sunny Day’s menu is fresh and made to order, says Orfanidis, and the crepes are especially well-liked.
“People love our crepes. Nutella and banana and our Crabby Florentine are very popular, and we do seasonal crepes and they tend to be the most popular,” she says.
Whatever the order, Orfanidis says she prepares customers’ food with care seven days a week. She rarely takes a day off.
“Everything we make is fresh, homemade and made to order,” she says. “We put a lot of care into what we do and we’re proud of the things we put out.”
Find Sunny Day Cafe at 101 S. Main St., Bel Air. 410-877-9020 or sunnydaycafebelair.com .
(By Kit Waskom Pollard | For Harford Magazine)
Burger
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Chef
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Cocktail
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Coffee
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Coffee Coffee has been an integral part of the Bel Air community for nearly 25 years, but that doesn’t mean the family behind the coffee, the Depmans, are coasting on its reputation.
“Coffee Coffee … has a long-standing customer base,” says manager Hillary Depman Tayson. Tayson’s mother, Betsy Depman, has owned Coffee Coffee since 2007.
Tayson says customers appreciate that she and her family are in the shop every day, exploring what’s new in coffee trends, and that they get involved with the community in a variety of ways, from selling coffee at the Bel Air Farmers’ Market to raising funds for local nonprofit organizations like Harford Community Action Agency.
“We focus on local,” she says. “Our coffee roasters are local, and we carry a wide variety of local products made in the region. We use Baltimore Coffee & Tea, High Grounds and Thread. The other thing that’s kind of cool is that we do partnerships, like with Independent Brewing. They’re putting some of our coffee in their beer, and we do a coffee that’s infused with hops.”
Hoppy beer isn’t the only creative coffee the Depman family brews.
“We’re always trying to stay on top of coffee trends,” says Tayson. “We sell our bottled cold brew concentrate and do a nitrogen-infused coffee served out of a keg. We try to do things that are different.”
Find Coffee Coffee at 5 Bel Air South Parkway, Bel Air. 410-515-2060 or coffeecoffee-online.com .
(By Kit Waskom Pollard | For Harford Magazine)
Crab Cake
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Deli
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Dessert
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Fine Dining
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Frozen Treats
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Happy Hour
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Healthful Menu
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Italian
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Late-night Dining
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Live Entertainment
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Lunch Menu
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Mexican
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New Restaurant
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Since its opening last fall, Alchemy Elements has quickly become a popular gathering place and dinner spot for Harford County residents.
“The community has been really great to us,” says Debi Bell-Matassa, a Harford County local who owns the restaurant with her husband, Michael Matassa. “We live here and always have. We’re the hometown couple, and people really cheer us on and want us to succeed.”
Bell-Matassa and her husband also owned Alchemy, in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, from 2010 until it closed last summer. When the couple opened their new spot, their goal was to create a captivating space where they could provide top-notch food and service.
With decor that Bell-Matassa described as comfortable, but “a little edgy and upscale” and a creative American menu, Alchemy Elements delivers in terms of space and food. But according to Bell-Matassa, it’s the service that really sets the restaurant apart.
“My staff is amazing,” she says. “They’re really nice people. They actually like taking care of people and are happy to be in hospitality.”
For example, she says, “If a guest comes in for the second time and says, ‘This is great, but I’d really like to see a bottle of Balvenie 17-year scotch,’ we order it.
“We try to make this feel like their place.”
Find Alchemy Elements at 528 Baltimore Pike, Bel Air. 443-371-7513 or alchemyelements.com .
(By Kit Waskom Pollard | For Harford Magazine)
Pizza
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Place to Take the Kids
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Place to Take Out-of-Towners
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Best Overall
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Seafood Bonefish Grill
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Service
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Server
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Sports Bar
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Steak
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Steamed Crabs
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Takeout
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Value
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Vegetarian Options
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View
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Wine List
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A previous version of this story misspelled the name of chef Yale Koplovitz. Harford Magazine regrets the error.